Needle



March 29, 1932. A W R 1,851,793

NEEDLE Filed April 25. 1931 Patented Mar. 29, 1932v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIONEL ALFRED WHARRAD, OF STUDLEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM HALL & COMPANY LIMITED,1OF STUDLEY, ENGLAND, A COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN NEEDLE Application filed April 25,1931, Serial No. 532,940, and in Great Britain April 30, 1930.

This invention relates to needles and is particularly applicable to relatively large needles such as packing needles and sail makers needles.

One of the objects of the present invention is to reduce the cost of production by introducing a new method of manufacture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of needle.

A further object is to provide an improved method of constructing a spring eye for a needle.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 illustrates a side elevation of one construction of needle according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a front view of same.

Figure 3 illustrates a blank of sheet metal from which the needle is constructed.

Figure t shows a section on line 4-, 4;, Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a section on line 5, 5, Figure 1.

Figure 6 shows a section on line 6, 6, Figure 1. V

Figure 7 shows asection on line 7, 7, Figure 1.

In the construction illustrated by the accompanying drawings the needle is constructed from a blank 1 of sheet material, this blank being bent or pressed into a shallow channel cross section as shown in Figure 6 forming the main shank 2 of the needle from a parallel sided portion 3 of the blank 1.

One end of the blank is pointed as at 4 and this portion is formed as a wider but shallower channel shown at 5 and the point 6 and the cutting edges 7 and 8 are formed on this part of the needle by a single grinding operation across the fiat surface and parallel to the face of the blade as shown in Figure 2.

It will be seen that by forming the needle and the blade so that the needle may be sharpened with a single grinding operation, the sharpening operation is greatly'facilitated and the cutting edges may be kept extremely sharp without a great amount of trouble.

The eye of the needle is formed at the other comparatively long arm 14: is available as a spring arm giving the maximum amount of movement at the split end for a minimum amount of bending at the end 15 of the loop.

The slit 13 is formed obliquely from the outer periphery of the loop inwardly as shown in Figure 1 so that the free ends 16 and 17 overlap one another and form a more continuous loop to reduce thepossibility of the thread or material used in the sewin operation from leaving the eye when in use.

The end 18 of the shank immediately preceding the end 10 is of enlarged width so that when the blank is bent into channel shape,

' this portion 18 leads up to the loop 9 so that the passage of the needle through the material is assisted and there is no shoulder or projection at the join of the eye andthe shank which might obstruct the passage of the needle.

One side of this portion 18 is formed with a cutting edge 19 which isadapted when the blank is formed into its finished shape to overlap the end of the eye which is adjacent the shank as shown in Figure 1. This cutting edge isgused to sever the thread or twine from the ball when a convenient length has been drawn therefrom.

- The opposite sideof the blank to this cutting edge is cut awayas at 20 to conform to the shape of the end of the loop and to assist the operation of the cutting edge 19, the portion 21 coinciding with a part of the loop in the finished needle and helping in the formation of a smooth join between the loop and the shank.

The form of the blade is such that the point 6 and the cutting edges 7 and 8 may be simultaneously ground or reground by a single operation on a flat grinding surface, the needle being rocked slightly during the grinding op eration to form the curved side elevation of the blade.

It will be appreciated that by constructing needles in this manner the cost of production is greatly reduced and the needles are more easily maintained in good working order.

Claims:

1. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, a point at one end of said shank, a separatespring eye fixed in the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring wire and portions on said shank bent to embrace one side of said loop, the other side thereofhaving a transverse slit.

2. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from, thin material, a point at one end of said shank, a separate spring eye fixed in the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring wire and ears on said shank at the end opposite to that having the point, said ears embracing-one side of said loop, the other side there of having a transverse slit. 7 V

3. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, said shank being of shallow channel cross section, a point atone end of said shank, the

body being of wider but shallower channel section adjacent said point forming a wide pointed blade, cutting edges on the edges of said channel adjacent said point and a separate spring eye fixed in the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring wire fixed to said shank at one side of the loop, the other side thereof having a transverse slit.

l. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, said shank being of shallow channel'cross section, a point at one end of said shank, the body being of Wider but shallower channel section adjacent said pointforming a wide pointed blade, cutting edges on the edges of said channel adjacent said point, a separate spring eye fixed in the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring Wire and portions on saidshank bent to em brace one side of said loop, the other side thereof having a transverse slit.

5. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, said shank being of shallow channel cross section, a point at oneend of said shank, a separate spring eye fixed-in the other end of said shank, said eye consistingof a loop of spring wire and ears on said shank at the end opposite'to that having thepoint, said ears embracing one side of said loop, the other side thereof having "a transverse slit. V

:6. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, a point at one end of said shank, a separate spring eye fixed in the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring wire, portions on said shank bent to embrace one side of said loop, the other side thereof having a transverse slit and portions of said shank enclosing the end of said loop adjacent said body to provide a smooth joint at the point of unionbetweenthe loop and. the bOClYatO facilitate the operation of'the needlewhen in use.

7. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, a point at one end of said shank, a separate spring eye iiz'redin the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring wire, portions on. said shank bent to embrace one side of said loop, the other side thereof having a transverse slit, por'ions of said shank encl sing the end of said loop adjacent said body to facilitate the passage from the. needle tothe eye and a cutting edge on one side of that portion of the shank enclosing the end of the loop.

8. A needle comprising a hollow shank portion formed from thin material, a point at one end of said shank, a separate spring eye liXQO. in the other end of said shank, said eye consisting of a loop of spring wire, portions on said shank bent to embrace one side of said loop, the other side thereof having a transverse slit, portions of said shank enclosing the end of said loop adjacent said body to facilitate the passage from the needie to the eye, a cutting edge on one side of that portion of the shank enclosing the end of the loop and said cutting edge projecting into said loop to a greater distance than the other side of the shank to allow the operation of the cutting edge.

In witnesswhereof 1 21th:; my signature.

LIONEL ALFRED WVHARRAD. 

